An Encylopedia Britannica Company

January 12, 2022 Word of the Day

organic /oɚˈgænɪk/ adjective
organic
/oɚˈgænɪk/
adjective
Teenager working in an organic garden
Teenager working in an organic garden
Definition of ORGANIC

1 a of food : grown or made without the use of artificial chemicals

  • organic vegetables

  • Is this broccoli certified organic? [=has the government said that it was grown without the use of artificial chemicals?]

1 b : not using artificial chemicals

  • organic farming/methods

  • She's an organic gardener.

2 : of, relating to, or obtained from living things

  • organic materials/matter/substances

  • organic fertilizers

3 a [more organic; most organic] : having different parts that work together well

  • He thinks of the city not as a collection of different neighborhoods but as an organic whole.

3 b [more organic; most organic] : forming an important part of something

  • This neighborhood is an organic part of the city.

4 [more organic; most organic] : happening or developing in a slow and natural way

  • The company has gone through a period of steady organic growth in recent years.

5 [more organic; most organic] somewhat formal : having a curving form similar to the shapes found in nature

  • I like the organic lines of his architecture.

  • His architecture is very organic.

6 medical : of or relating to the organs of the body

  • an organic disease

  • organic illness

organically /oɚˈgænɪkli/ adverb

  • This farm specializes in organically grown food.

  • Her opinions grew organically from her observations.

More Words of the Day